The Big Apple is a fascinating city to explore and even people who've been living there for years constantly discover new aspects to the city. When you visit, you'll want to see the famous sights but you can make your stay even more interesting by, for instance, trying to spot locations from the many movies and television shows filmed here. However, you'll need some tunes too and there is nothing better than a playlist of music inspired by NYC.
New York has always been at the forefront of what's happening in the world of music and has been home to diverse musicians. Among the greats who were born here are Neil Diamond, Christina Aguilera and Maria Callas. However, countless musicians, including Madonna, have also left their hometowns to look for the big break this city could give them.
The lives of those musicians trying to make it big have been the subject of several movies, including 'New York, New York'. The movie's theme song was a hit for Liza Minnelli but became even bigger when Frank Sinatra made it one of his signature songs. In contrast to the optimistic mood of this song is 'The Boxer' by folk duo Simon and Garfunkel, which is about someone whose NYC dreams didn't quite work out as planned.
In the Sixties, the clubs of the Lower East Side were at the center of the folk movement. Many of the era's best songwriters used the city streets to inspire them. Joni Mitchell wrote about the yellow cabs and about the Chelsea neighborhood, while Leonard Cohen immortalized the iconic Chelsea Hotel in song. Later folk singers such as Suzanne Vega also sang about New York locations.
Later musicians continued the trend of singing about the city and you'll find songs in every genre, from hip hop to the gypsy punk of Gogol Bordello. There is one classic song that really stands out as a love anthem for New York and will make you want to go back every time you hear it. It's Billy Joel's 'New York State of Mind', which doesn't talk about locations but instead describes the local lifestyle.
The gritty city has inspired many a musical too. After all, Broadway is the spiritual home of this genre of the stage. To get a sense of how diverse New Yorkers are, listen to the songs from 'West Side Story'. 'Rent' looks at the struggle of artists and the scourge of HIV in the East Village. Other famous musicals set in NYC include 'Funny Girl', 'Hair', 'A Chorus Line', 'Annie' and the classic 'Guys and Dolls'.
Often, words aren't really necessary to capture the spirit of America's largest city. You simply need to listen to the jazz of Duke Ellington's composition 'A Tone Parallel to Harlem' or to the soaring notes of 'Rhapsody in Blue', the classic by George Gershwin. Aaron Copland captured a different atmosphere in 'Quiet City' and if you want to visit Central Park after nightfall, be sure to have 'Central Park in the Dark', a 1906 composition by Charles Ives, to accompany you.
Compiling a playlist of music about NYC is very easy. You simply need to visit your local record store or an online site that allows you to download the numbers of your choice. While you're online, you may also want to find a map that shows different city locations immortalized in song and then go visit these places.
New York has always been at the forefront of what's happening in the world of music and has been home to diverse musicians. Among the greats who were born here are Neil Diamond, Christina Aguilera and Maria Callas. However, countless musicians, including Madonna, have also left their hometowns to look for the big break this city could give them.
The lives of those musicians trying to make it big have been the subject of several movies, including 'New York, New York'. The movie's theme song was a hit for Liza Minnelli but became even bigger when Frank Sinatra made it one of his signature songs. In contrast to the optimistic mood of this song is 'The Boxer' by folk duo Simon and Garfunkel, which is about someone whose NYC dreams didn't quite work out as planned.
In the Sixties, the clubs of the Lower East Side were at the center of the folk movement. Many of the era's best songwriters used the city streets to inspire them. Joni Mitchell wrote about the yellow cabs and about the Chelsea neighborhood, while Leonard Cohen immortalized the iconic Chelsea Hotel in song. Later folk singers such as Suzanne Vega also sang about New York locations.
Later musicians continued the trend of singing about the city and you'll find songs in every genre, from hip hop to the gypsy punk of Gogol Bordello. There is one classic song that really stands out as a love anthem for New York and will make you want to go back every time you hear it. It's Billy Joel's 'New York State of Mind', which doesn't talk about locations but instead describes the local lifestyle.
The gritty city has inspired many a musical too. After all, Broadway is the spiritual home of this genre of the stage. To get a sense of how diverse New Yorkers are, listen to the songs from 'West Side Story'. 'Rent' looks at the struggle of artists and the scourge of HIV in the East Village. Other famous musicals set in NYC include 'Funny Girl', 'Hair', 'A Chorus Line', 'Annie' and the classic 'Guys and Dolls'.
Often, words aren't really necessary to capture the spirit of America's largest city. You simply need to listen to the jazz of Duke Ellington's composition 'A Tone Parallel to Harlem' or to the soaring notes of 'Rhapsody in Blue', the classic by George Gershwin. Aaron Copland captured a different atmosphere in 'Quiet City' and if you want to visit Central Park after nightfall, be sure to have 'Central Park in the Dark', a 1906 composition by Charles Ives, to accompany you.
Compiling a playlist of music about NYC is very easy. You simply need to visit your local record store or an online site that allows you to download the numbers of your choice. While you're online, you may also want to find a map that shows different city locations immortalized in song and then go visit these places.
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